Europe Explored » slovak karst

Jasovská cave – national natural monument of Slovakia

Claire — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 22:34:34 +0000

Jasovská cave (or Jasovská jaskyňa in Slovak) is located in the Slovak Karst, near the village Jasov, in the south-eastern part of the Slovak Republic. The cave has been known since time immemorial. There were found artifacts from the Paleolithic, Neolithic and Hallstatt periods. The stalactite cave was first open to the public partially in 1846 by monks from the nearby Jasov monastery. Between 1922 – 1924 the lower parts of the cave were discovered and already in 1924 Jasovská cave was officially opened.

There were built routes and electric lighting. The total length of cave is 2811 meters, of which about 550 meters are available to the public. Jasovská cave has a rich sinter decoration. You can admire Virgin stalactites and waterfalls. At the top floor there is also interesting sign written in black letters in 1452 and which talks about the victory of the Hussites in Lučenec.

The cave is a home to 19 species of bats, which live in the cave especially during winter. Since 1995 Jasovská cave is included in the UNESCO World Heritage list as a part of the Caves of Aggtelek Karst and Slovak Karst site.

The air temperature ranges between 8.8°C to 9.4°C, relative humidity from 90% to 98%. The cave is open daily – except of Mondays – from April 1 to October 30. Basic admission fee is €5.

See pictures of Jasovská Cave on flickr.com

For further information you can visit official website of Slovak caves www.ssj.sk.

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Ochtinská Aragonite Cave – the only Aragonite cave of that kind in the world | Slovakia

Claire — Sat, 19 Feb 2011 13:14:25 +0000

Ochtinská Aragonite Cave is located in the southern part of Slovakia, in the Košice region, near town of Rožňava. Ochtinská Aragonite Cave is a unique natural phenomenon and the only Aragonite cave of that kind in the world. It is one of three aragonite caves discovered in the world so far.

The main attraction of the cave is called Milky Way Hall, where you can see the white branches and clusters of aragonite shining like stars in the Milky Way. There are fantastic shapes of flowers and Aragonite crystalline formations.

Ochtinská Aragonite Cave was discovered accidentally in 1954 by Jan Bystricky and open later to the public in 1972. However its length is only 300 meters, and only 230 meters are accessible, it is famous for its rare aragonite filling. In 1995 Ochtinská Aragonite Cave has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List together with other caves in Slovak Karst.

The cave is open daily except of Mondays from April to October. Basic admission is €6.

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Slovak Karst National Park – largest karstic area in Central Europe

Claire — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 13:27:42 +0000

The Slovak Karst National Park (Slovenský kras) lying in the south of Slovakia next to the frontier with Hungary. With 440km2 it is the largest karstic area in Central Europe with the densest concentration of underground forms. There is 1100 caves and abysses, which are inscribed in the UNESCO List of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage.

Domica Cave, Slovakia by Jojo

Slovak Karst National Park is so far the second youngest National Park in Slovakia, established on 1 March 2002. This valuable territory with perfectly developed karst was a protected landscape area since 1973. Its significance is enhanced by the fact that it is included in the MaB (Man and Biosphere) network of biosphere reserves.

The caves and abysses in the Slovak karst and the area of the Aggteleki Karszt in neighbouring Hungary are inscribed in the UNESCO List of the Natural and Cultural Heritage. Stricter regime of conservation is applied to 10 Reserves, 16 National Natural Phenomena and 6 Natural Phenomena in the territory of the mountains Slovenský kras.

The most interesting places are the Zádielska tiesňava gorge and Domica cave – the biggest cave in Slovakia.

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Domica cave – the biggest cave in Slovakia

Claire — Sat, 01 May 2010 04:52:57 +0000

Domica is the biggest and most beautiful cave in the Slovak Karst in southern Slovakia. Domica is situated near Plešivec village in Rožňava district, 2 km from the state boundary with Hungary. It is a part of the cave complex that continues into the cave Baradla (Aggtelek) in Hungary. It was discovered in 1926 by Ján Majko and it is opened to the public since 1932. There is also boat trip included during the visit.

Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Jojo

Domica cave is a part of Caves of Aggtelek Karst and Slovak Karst and is included in the UNESCO World Heritage list since 1995.

The full admission price long tour (tour with boat ride) is €7 (2010). Air temperature ranges from 10.2 to 11.4°C and relative humidity from 95 to 98 %.

Domica is one of the 12 caves opened to the public.

The list of all caves in Slovakia:

Belianska Cave
Bystrianska Cave
Demänovská Cave of Liberty
Demänovská Ice Cave
Dobšinská Ice Cave
Domica
Driny Cave
Gombasecká Cave
Harmanecká Cave
Jasovská Cave
Ochtinská Aragonite Cave
Važecká Cave

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